The field of this invention relates generally to disposable absorbent articles and more particularly to hip panels for disposable absorbent articles and a method of manufacturing the same.
Disposable absorbent articles, such as infant diapers, child training pants, adult incontinence briefs, and feminine hygiene products are well known for their use in absorbing and retaining liquid and/or solid discharges from the human body. Typically, absorbent articles include a permeable inner or bodyside liner, an impermeable outer cover, and an absorbent structure disposed intermediate the liner and the outer cover. The absorbent articles often have a front waist region, a back waist region, and a crotch region that extends longitudinally between and interconnects the front and back waist regions.
In some known absorbent articles, hip panels are secured to transversely opposite sides of the absorbent article in its back waist region for extending circumferentially about the wearer's hip region and securing the back waist region to the front waist region. That is, the hip panels circumferentially (e.g., transversely) interconnect the front and back waist regions of the absorbent article to define the leg openings of the article and support the article on the wearer's hips. In particular, when the absorbent article is worn, the hip panels overlie the respective hips of the wearer. As a result, a lower edge of the hip panels defines part of a leg opening of the absorbent article and is often curved or arcuate to match the contour of the wearer's upper thigh. An upper edge of the hip panel defines part of a waist opening of the absorbent article for encircling the waist of the wearer when the article is worn.
In one known method of manufacturing conventional hip panels, a web W of suitable hip panel material is continuously fed to a suitable cutting apparatus CA as illustrated schematically in FIG. 1A. The cutting apparatus CA performs a first cut to remove a generally semi-elliptical portion EP from one side of the web W to form a corresponding generally semi-elliptical cutout EC therein. The web W is subsequently severed (e.g., a second cut) at or near an apex A of the semi-elliptical cutout EP to form respective hip panels HP from the web for subsequent assembly with the rest of the absorbent article.
As a result of this manufacturing process, the hip panel HP has a curved upper edge UE and a curved lower edge LE. As seen in FIGS. 1A and 1B, for example, the upper edge UE of the hip panel HP curves in the opposite direction than the lower edge LE. More specifically, the upper edge UE of the conventional hip panel HP is curved downward while the lower edge LE is curved upward as viewed in FIG. 1A. A pair of the hip panels HP is then attached to the back waist region of the absorbent article (e.g., diaper D of FIG. 1B) for connecting the back waist region to the front waist region. Often, the back waist region is releasably connected to the front waist region using fastener components (FC), such as hook and loop fasteners.
It has been found that the downward curvature of the upper edge UE of the hip panel HP, which causes the fastener on the hip panel to be well below the end of the back waist region, may result in the caregiver inadvertently placing the front waist region of the absorbent article too low on the front of the wearer. It is believed that this misalignment is a result of caregivers having a general tendency or preference to align the hip panels and corresponding fasteners with the belly button region of the wearer. When this occurs, however, leakage, sagging, and drooping of the absorbent article is more likely to occur. In addition, misalignment compromises the overall comfort of the absorbent article and may cause redmarking of the wearer's skin along the hip region.
Moreover, the conventional manufacturing process for forming hip panels results in significant portions of the web being wasted. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, for example, each of the semi-elliptical portions EP cut from the web W result in unusable waste. Furthermore, conventional hip panels often have a significant maximum height, particularly at the end of the hip panel that is permanently attached to the back waist region of the article. In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B, for example, the hip panels have a maximum height of about 91 mm, thus requiring a substantial amount of material to make the hip panel.
There is a need, therefore, for a hip panel for an absorbent article that facilitates proper alignment of the absorbent article during its placement on the wearer and is manufactured using less material and without producing waste.